Each golfer, and particularly an amateur golfer, develops a swing pattern during the initial years of golfing. However, this swing pattern does not always result in a well hit ball. The principle variable is the position of the golfer with reference to the position of the ball. Another variable, of course, is the length of a specific club that is being used: the different woods, irons, etc.
There are numerous teaching devices that have been proposed to "mold" the golfer into a particular stance, and for positioning a ball being addressed where it theoretically will travel in a correct direction when hit. Other teaching devices attempt to develop a "preferred" swing to accomplish better results when hitting the ball with the various types of clubs. Typical of these devices are those shown and described in U.S. utility patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,905 issued to M. J. Shirhall on Jan. 4, 1977; U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,130 issued to E. Richards on July 18, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,352 issued to J. P. O'Brien on Aug. 14, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,431 issued to D. A. Burnes on Feb. 3, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,983 issued to F. K. Taggart on Mar. 6, 1984; U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,581 issued to P. J. Williamson on Oct. 8, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,913 issued to R. L. Bott on Feb. 21, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. No. 4,915,387 issued to G. D. Baxstrom on Apr. 10, 1990. Other devices are shown in U.S. design patents: U.S. Pat. No. 225,242 issued to F. W. Pruitt on Nov. 28, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 272,379 issued to R. H. Cachola on Jan. 24, 1984; and U.S. Pat. No. 77,886 issued to W. A. Murphy on Mar. 5, 1985. While these devices are such that a uniform swing pattern can be developed while actively using the device, they do not created a mental image that the golfer can use when actually playing a game of golf. Others attempt to change a golfer's natural swing so that when used extensively, an "optimum" swing is developed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present device to provide means for a golfer to experiment as to the placement of a ball in relationship to a foot stance and a particular golf club that will develop a mental image during use thereof that will carry over into a golf game where the device is not in use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a rectangularly-shaped mat, either as a portable unit or a permanent practice unit, that has imprinted on a first portion a grid upon which a golfer can place a ball, with a second portion of the mat for placement of the feet of a golfer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mat upon a portion of which is imprinted a grid upon which a golfer can place a ball, with the columns of spaces in the grid provided with indicia at the ends thereof, and rows of spaces in the grid provided with separate indica at their ends.
A further object of the present invention is to provide, in a preferred embodiment, a mat upon a portion of which is imprinted with a grid having a center line to divide the grid into right and left portions, with the columns of spaces of the right portion of the grid having numerical indicia at ends thereof that increase in size to the right of the center line, and the columns of spaces of the left portion of the grid having similar numerical indicia at ends thereof that increase to the left of the center line so that the right and left portions are mirror images.
Also, it is an object of the present invention to have a mat having a first portion upon which a golfer stands which includes markings to indicate possible different foot positions, together with a grid imprinted on a second portion of the mat to provide the golfer with a multiplicity of golf ball locations so as to develop consistent ball trajectory patterns.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon a consideration of the drawings referred to below and the complete description of the invention that follows.